10 things you aren’t doing with your images but really should

5. Set white balance manually

This is less of an issue if you shoot raw files, but the satisfaction that comes with getting things right in-camera cannot be denied. What’s more, you’ll start to understand how your camera sees colour and feel more confident taking control.

You’ll need to check your camera’s manual for precise details about how to set a custom white balance value, but the basic principal is the same for most cameras. Just photograph a sheet of white or grey paper or card in the light your subject is in, and tell your camera to set the white balance to make it neutral.

6. Show off your images

It doesn’t matter whether you post your images to Facebook, share them on Twitter, upload them to Flickr or put on an exhibition at the local gallery, sharing your images is a great way of getting feedback and learning about how to improve your photography. Suddenly the details become much more important and you gain a new sense of purpose.